This is the fun part of the process, where the pages are complete and ready to go. Finishing touches, spit and shine. If Moon was a car right now, the Chassis is on and the Engine in place, ignition is working but it needs a little more paint work and a couple of the connections fixed, leather applied to the seats to make sure it’s comfortable for the ride.

Not much of a change from last week but sometimes colour is not so much of a problem. A few years ago, at a convention in Birmingham, I met a digital artist working on his digital art pad (before the IPad existed, which makes me feel like I’ve been doing this a long time). His advice, above all else, in order to give artwork a more realistic look was layering. Literally taking textures from existing photographic material or carefully produced digital version. These resources are easily and readily available via deviantart and stock resource sites – or hi-res Google images if you’re feeling cheeky. You apply the layer and make it transparent or mask it using layers above it, so that it offers a realistic base for your colours.

This is what I did here. Two Hi res images of the Moon (from different sides), the original visible from Part 1, the second at a lower transparency to highlight the existing layer below. It just makes old Moon head more realistic for the cover image – though, before anyone picks us up on it at a con – pretty inaccurate.

Modern day. The case for Ray and Moon that started the series of events is the mysterious murder of Councillor Hugh Griffiths. Reknowned for his recycling policies and liberal attitude towards street theatre, Tower Hamlets is a poorer place as a result of the loss of this giant of refuse politics.

What does this all mean. Surely a man like Hugh Griffiths couldn’t have any enemies lurking in the shadows. Is he a cack handed gun handler or did someone deliberately assassinate him? Whatever the answer – a big clue as to what it’s all about in Moon 2 when the main suspect to be the fleeing figure featured in Moon 1 will be revealed…

Moon and Ray have the promise of being the greatest agents in the history of the Agency. Ray was one of the finest new recruits back in the 70s. With the successful arrest of long-time hibernating crack pot Spring Heeled Jack, loose once again on the streets of London, using a carefully placed set of trampolines and a long range paintball gun – the chief of the time decided to team the young Barton with their most experienced agent. The rest as they say, is history. In future more of Ray and Moon’s adventures will be revealed – whether it be dealing with Space Nazis on Icy Tundra or postal tea ladies at Buckingham Palace – there will always be a place in the hall of fame for Moon and his long time partner Ray. All he has to do is survive the events of Moon 2….